


Coping and Surviving

by Spiciest_Sriracha



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Comfort, Comfort/Angst, Friendship, Future Fic, Grief/Mourning, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:20:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28660113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spiciest_Sriracha/pseuds/Spiciest_Sriracha
Summary: Set several decades after Vox Machina's defeat of Vecna, Vex and Keyleth meet to mourn the death of a shared loved one.
Relationships: Keyleth & Vex'ahlia (Critical Role), Keyleth/Vax'ildan (Critical Role), Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III/Vex'ahlia
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	Coping and Surviving

**Author's Note:**

> Man did this fic take a long time to write! 
> 
> I really hope that if you take the time to read this fic that you enjoy it, as it was a struggle finding the motivation to complete it, but overall I am happy with the end result.
> 
> Just really wanted to explore some of the platonic relationships in Vox Machina after a substantial period of time had passed and with some significant loses within the group. 
> 
> I know that's a bit depressing, but want you gonna do it makes good drama. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Vex’ahlia stands alone, transfixed on the small puffs of vapor her breath creates in the familiar cold of a Whitestone morning, as she patiently awaits the arrival of her companion under the branches of the Sun Tree. The crisply chilly air bites against the skin on her face, causing her to instinctually draw her soft grey fur shawl higher up her neck closer to her face.

The peacefulness of the empty streets in these early hours is suddenly disturbed by a loud tearing sound coming from the base of the Sun Tree. Unfazed and recognising the sound Vex turns in its direction, moving close enough to witness the tree’s thick trunk being split in half by a vivid green magical rift and a red-haired half-elven woman stepping through it. As the woman steps out, the rift behind makes a sharp sucking sound as it shrinks and vanishes, leaving the Sun Tree looking healthier than ever with no sign of what had just transpired.

“Keyleth dear, you have no idea how happy I am to see you.” Vex says breathlessly, suddenly overcome with emotion at the sight of her friend.

“Vex,” Keyleth replies with a small empathic smile, seeming to have read the sadness in her friend’s eyes as she steps up to her to pull her into a warm hug. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here sooner.”

Vex gives her an appreciative squeeze in response before pulling back out of the comforting embrace.

“No need to apologise, darling.” Vex reassures, before clearing her throat and re-adjusting her many layers of opulent winter clothing.

“After all, you are the Voice of the Tempest. I’m sure you have many things on your plate, and I am aware that your time is precious, so don’t worry I will not keep you for too long. I just really needed to see a friendly face.”

Vex quickly averts her gaze from her friend’s face before she could see any sign of pity there, as her voice cracks on the last couple of words. Her eyes, as if on instinct, fall to the crow skull hanging from a leather thread around her druid friend’s neck. Vex forces herself to take a deep breath to steady herself and prevent the stinging in her eyes from welling up into tears.

Suddenly becoming aware just how vulnerable and needy she must seem in that moment she chastises herself internally and attempts to compose herself.

“Vex, you don’t need to be ashamed of feeling alone. This feeling won’t last forever, believe me.” Keyleth’s voice cuts through her self-deprecating thoughts, seeming to have read her like a book.

Vex meets Keyleth’s eyes once more and is not met with the pitying or sympathetic expression she had become accustomed to seeing from others over the last few weeks, but rather Keyleth looks at her with an expression of understanding and solidarity.

Vex gives a small smile and links her arm with Keyleth’s, while motioning with the other along the deserted streets in the direction of her usual exit of the city into the Parchwood, she says, “Shall we?”

“Lead the way.” Keyleth responds returning her smile while they fall into a companionable stroll arm-in-arm, a comfortable silence falling over them as they head toward the city limits.

They walk quietly for a few minutes before Keyleth interrupts the silence.

“You kno- I-, you know that while I am the Voice of the Tempest, I will also always be a member of Vox Machina, right?” she asks after a moment of stammering to find the right words, evidently wanting to make her stance on Vex’s earlier statement clear.

“I know, darling.” Vex simply replies, patting Keyleth’s hand that is clasped around her arm, before sighing in resignation. “You were right, I was just trying to conceal how needy I sounded at your arrival. I also didn’t want to make you feel guilty if you can’t stay for long.”

“I can stay for as long as you need me.” Keyleth exclaims quickly and enthusiastically, before a sudden look of realisation falls upon her face.

“I mean- I- I can’t really stay longer than a day, but what I meant is that I’m in no rush for now.” she amends looking sheepish, a pink blush appearing under the dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

Vex cannot help laughing at her friend’s comfortingly familiar awkwardness. The sensation of laughter raking through her body feels akin to that of a Cure Wounds spell of the soul. As it washes through her mitigating the pain of any lingering wounds in its wake. It feels as though it has been a lifetime since she last laughed so freely, and she suddenly feels a wave of gratitude toward the druid for eliciting the response.

 _Some things never change._ Vex thinks as she looks at Keyleth’s pink face with a smile. Before she is suddenly hit by the memory of one major change, the very one that incited this small reunion to begin with, and her smile quickly evaporates as she falls into a silent stupor.

“How have you been though, honestly?” Keyleth enquires cautiously.

“Coping.” Is all Vex can muster to say in response, feeling as though no other word accurately reflects her current state of mind.

“Mhmm,” Keyleth nods in agreement. “I think that really is the only way to describe that feeling.”

Vex nods back at her. If anyone else had said that to her she most likely would have rolled her eyes not bothering to dignify them with a response and walked away feeling it to be unhelpful and condescending. Though she knows when Keyleth says it, it comes from personal experience having had lived through this heartache herself after Vax’s death over 50 years ago.

 _My Gods, 50 years. Has it really been that long?_ Vex thinks to herself, as she looks over the woman walking beside her. Looking at Keyleth you would not think much time had passed at all, she looks as youthful as the day they met. The only signs of time passed on her are the ever-growing pools of wisdom in her gaze, which have become more pronounced as they all grow older and are continually burdened with more responsibility, hardship, and tragedy. Whilst Vex had not aged as rapidly as her human husband in the 50 or so years since their retirement from adventuring, in the past 15 years signs of age were starting to show. She now sported a sparse smattering of white and grey hairs at her hairline, along with small crinkles becoming visible at the corners of her eyes.

They continued walking in silence once more until they had exited the city limits into the tranquillity of the surrounding Parchwood. Vex’s domain as Grandmistress of the Grey Hunt. The place she has always felt most at ease, as it always brought a sense of nostalgia from her youth spent with Vax and Trinket. Whom both have memorials placed on the top of a hill a short walk to the west of where her and Keyleth had entered the forest. So, Vex tugs on Keyleth’s arm to lead the two of them in that direction.

Vex notices a flash of recognition flicker across Keyleth’s face, as it becomes apparent that she must recognise the direction too, as this was not the first time the two women had gone to sit on the small bench atop that hill to catch-up and reminisce about times past.

“You seem to be more yourself than you were at the funeral. Which is good.” Keyleth says conversationally, breaking the silence once more and interrupting Vex from her train of thoughts. “We were all so worried, you barely spoke a word.”

Vex tries to recall the day in question, but all that surfaces is a blur of faces offering their condolences whilst she had tried in vain to avoid the attention of such looks.

“The first couple of days after his passing were the hardest.” Vex mutters. “We all knew it was coming. He had been ill for quite some time. As you know. But once it finally did come, I just felt numb. Like I was in a terrible dream, not in control of my own body or thoughts, just going through the motions.”

This was the first time Vex had talked about her feelings with someone since Percy’s passing a month ago. She had spent much of her time comforting everybody else, not wanting to burden her family with her own pain when they were suffering as much as she was over the loss.

Everything had felt like it was weirdly moving fast yet slow. With the never-ending series of chaos in organising all the official matters after one dies, such as, the funeral arrangements, the distribution of Percy’s will, the funeral itself, and the endless Chamber meetings on who would take over as the Sophist of Native Ingenuity in his wake.

Whilst all of this was happening so rapidly in real time, Vex felt herself living day-to-day in a strange paradox where she felt constantly busy but also as though time was passing painfully slow. Especially in the times when she was not being distracted by her family’s needs or official matters. Usually in the evenings, during her sleepless nights, and the early hours of the morning. The times where Percival’s lack of presence at her side felt agonizingly noticeable.

The night he had passed, once everyone else had gone to bed, Vex had found herself sitting alone in his workshop. Not really sure what she was doing in there, but she had felt that this was the one place in all of Whitestone that was quintessentially Percy and so had gravitated there. She just sat at his worktable looking over its dishevelled state, imagining him hunched over it hard at work on some odd yet ingenious contraption.

Percy had not used it in months, since becoming too sick to stand without support, and so it was left abandoned. Vex was grateful that this room had always been ignored by the cleaners within the castle staff, as it meant she could still see the remnants of the last project he had been tinkering on before he died. She could see it vaguely resembled a bear, fashioned out of a several small intricate pieces of metal, but had clearly never been finished. So, she had turned to read through his notes to decipher his intentions on design and saw it simply titled as _‘Cannonball!’_. A toy for one of their grandchildren no doubt. She saw blueprints for the installation of a mechanism that would allow it to be switched from bear to ball form, so it could be rolled along the floor to knock down a row of metal pins. She had felt the tears fall down her face as she realised what it was going to be.

_Trinket._

Vex felt herself become emotionally overwhelmed at the idea of him, still even after more than 50 years of marriage finding these small ways to make her smile. She lost track of how long she spent there sobbing over the designs and couldn’t remember falling asleep but was awakened in the early hours of the morning by an equally tired looking Cassandra reminding her that they had to make arrangements for his burial. Quickly snapping her back into the present and setting herself back into the persona of the beacon of strength her family needed her to be.

When Vex had finally started to come to her senses through the haze of grief, she knew she needed a friend to talk to. Someone who wouldn’t apologise for her loss, who wouldn’t constantly tell her what a great man Percy was whilst having never really known him, someone who knew what she was going through. Only one person had come to mind.

“I remember feeling similarly once we returned from Pandemonium. I finally had time to let what happened to Vax settle in once I returned to Zephrah.” Keyleth says empathetically, drawing Vex’s attention back to the conversation as they continue to traverse toward the hill a short distance ahead.

“I’m sorry.” Vex whispers in reply.

“Vex, it’s been over 50 years.” Keyleth laughs softly. “Though I still think of him and miss him every day, the worst of my grief has passed.”

“No, I know.” Vex responds. “I meant I’m sorry for not being there more for you in your time of need. Like you are being here for me.”

Keyleth turns to look at Vex with an evident look of surprise on her face at the other woman’s admission, while Vex looks back with an expression mixed of both guilt and regret.

“I feel as though I was so excited to start my life with Percy here in Whitestone, that I missed how much you could have used a friend to talk to.” Vex laments. “Admittedly, I may have partially avoided you to evade and distract myself from my own grief over Vax."

Vex turns her gaze to look at the slightly frozen forest ground crunching under the two of their feet as they approach the bottom of the hill, giving a heavy sigh.

“I am so sorry.” Vex repeats, her voice shaking as tears begin to form at the corner of her eyes. “If I had known it felt like this I-“

“Vex don’t.” Keyleth interjects, whilst bringing the two of them to a stop and turning Vex by the shoulders to face her.

“Grief is not specific. Everybody feels it and deals with it differently. You have nothing to apologise for. If I had needed or wanted any of you there for me, I know you would have been there.” Keyleth sooths in that special kind of way that only she can, with nothing but absolute sincerity in her voice.

“One thing I have learnt, is to always try and look at the positives. Or else you will become over-burdened with so much negativity and pain you risk losing yourself in it. I lost Vax, but miraculously my Mom was returned to us in Zephrah. That went some way toward healing my broken heart. And whilst I’ll admit it took me a long time before I felt I could have that kind of happiness I had with Vax again in my life, it did eventually come. It will come for you too, Vex. It’ll just take time. While in the meantime, you have a large and beautiful family here in Whitestone who would do anything for you, and you have me and the rest of Vox Machina. You will never be alone Vex. Try to focus on that.” Keyleth insists with a small reassuring smile, whilst gently removing her hands from the other woman’s shoulders and turning to continue up the hillside.

Vex frantically wipes away the tears that had begun to spill down her face as she digests what had just been said, before trailing silently close behind Keyleth.

It does not take long for the two of them to reach the top of the mound of earth. As they step over the crest of the hill they both pause to take in the sight before them. From here they have a spectacular view of the city of Whitestone. They have clear sight of the town square where the Sun Tree stands, now starting to show some signs of life as a smattering of market stall owners and shopkeepers are up early to begin setting up their trade. Vex makes a mental note to make sure to stop by the Slayers Cake on the way back, to check on business and to perhaps show Keyleth some of the new recipes they had been working on.

To the east they can see the once eerie Whitestone cemetery, however since Vex’s bestowment as Champion of the Dawnfather renovations had been made to the temple to Pelor that resided there, removing the ominous atmosphere left there from the Briarwoods reign. Even from this distance you could see the splendour of the pristinely white building, with huge beautifully decorated stained-glass windows, and the golden motifs adorning the outside of the temple glittering in the early morning sunlight.

Finally, their eyes drift up to the north, past the main mass of the city, to the large castle sitting proudly atop a larger hillside. Castle Whitestone. Their gaze lingers on the familiar building, Vex and the rest of the de Rolo family’s home, but also home to so many memories shared between Vox Machina over the many years they had all known each other.

Keyleth reaches over to take one of Vex’s hands and to give it a comforting squeeze, when a shaky breath escapes from the dark-haired woman’s lips as she looks at the large free-standing tower positioned to the right within the entry courtyard just beyond the castle’s main gates. There was no mistaking what it was, as it was quite clearly a new addition to the castle’s otherwise ancient architecture.

 _Percy’s clocktower_. Vex thinks to herself, her eyes fixed upon it. She recalls the enormous amount of work her husband, and the many other tinkerers and architects he had employed, had put into constructing it. It had taken the better part of 13 years to complete, with Percy taking on the brunt of the work in to first few years, having to make meticulously detailed sketches and plans to help the other workers understand the vision of his design. Vex could vividly recall the absolute unbridled pride on her husband’s face once it had been completed, and the corresponding look of adoration toward him on her own. She could remember the sweep of emotion on his face and behind his eyes at having created a thing of such ingenuity and beauty. At having allowed himself to enjoy creating something that would not bring harm to others, but rather to be the first stepping-stone toward his dream of making Whitestone the shining beacon to what mankind’s future could endeavour to be.

Vex gently releases her hand from Keyleth’s and turns to take a seat on the small wooden bench behind them which faces out toward the vista before them.

The city was not the only thing to have been renovated and revitalised over the passing of time. The small bench in which the two women were now perched upon, which had been crudely and hastily put together by Pike, now in itself was a thing of beauty.

Most of the changes to it were made by Keyleth, as whenever she would come to visit her friends here in Whitestone she would be drawn here to feel close to Vax. With the use of Druidcraft she gradually caused a modicum of Snowdrop flowers to bloom around the base of the seat, while also creating an intricate lattice of vines to form up and around the back of the bench to make it appear almost like a throne. While Percy had aided in making it, and all the new additions, more robust by making a few discreet metal supports to keep the seat from collapsing under the harsh weather of the Whitestone winters.

Beyond ornate or practical structural additions, all the members of Vox Machina had carved little messages into the bench in remembrance of Vax. Even Grog had scrawled a very short message upon it after having continued his literacy lessons with Pike. It simply reads, in a rather messily scrawled hand:

“ ** _Grog was here. Hi Vax_**.”

Vex ran her fingers over the short yet also weirdly sweet message, remembering when the group of friends had lost Grog almost four decades following their defeat of Vecna.

She could not help thinking how different it all was, the chaotic and oddly jovial in remembrance Grog’s funeral had been in comparison to Percy’s. Whilst everyone, especially Pike and Scanlan, had been struck and despaired at his death, they also all knew that Grog had passed on in his own terms. Which was in single hand combat with a Kraken that he had heard about through the contracts taken at the Slayers Take, which he had eagerly accepted after he’d been forced to flee from the last one encountered in the rift outside Vesrah all those years ago. Grog had apparently successfully killed the beast, restoring whatever pride and honour he felt he had lost from their last fight with a similar entity. Knowing that he had died fulfilling some sort of urgent self-imposed mission, it gave them all a strange sense of contentment as they had all agreed the idea of Grog growing old and frail did not seem fitting.

So, in celebration of his life the group had done what they felt Grog would have wanted them to do in his memory, which involved them all getting black out drunk on cheap ale and causing a scene in a random tavern in a small town in the middle of nowhere.

As for a place to mark Grog’s place of burial, since his body was never recovered, Percy had made sure a spectacular mausoleum was built in Whitestone’s cemetery for the ‘ _Grand Poobah De Doink of All of This and That_ ’. Which Vex and the other members of Vox Machina would visit from time to time to leave a small mug of ale on his grave, especially on nights they would spend drinking in the city as Pike did not wish for him to be left out.

Lifting her fingers from the text, Vex then turns her gaze toward the burial site of another fallen member of Vox Machina.

To the right of the bench, set slightly further back and closer to where the treeline begins again, Vex had also placed a marker in memory of her beloved bear Trinket after his passing 30 years ago.

It was a wooden totem carved from a tree trunk, decorated with a collage of bright flowers growing around the outside of it. The totem design was comprised of an array of stacked bear heads, all resembling Trinket of course, displayed in differing facial expressions. At its base the Vox Machina insignia was carved, and just below that a small offering bowl was left where Vex would put treats as a way of remembrance, fully aware that the local wildlife would come and enjoy the offerings left behind.

Vex reaches into a pouch attached to her waist whilst looking over at the Trinket totem, and fiddles with the handful of honey cookies she had brought, before whispering.

“Hey Buddy. I brought your favourites.”

Keyleth watches as Vex stands from the bench to walk over to place the treats into the small bowl and then place her hand on the totem before muttering to it once more.

“Look after your Daddy for me please, dear. Tell him I love him and miss him very much.”

Vex releases a deep sigh before turning back toward her friend and taking a seat beside her once more.

“The city looks breath-taking from up here.” Keyleth utters while looking back out towards Whitestone.

“Yes. It does.” Vex agrees.

“Though you do say that every time we come here, Keyleth dear.” She adds in jest, looking over at the younger woman with a smirk on her face.

“Do I?” She exclaims in surprise, a pink blush forming across her face once again.

“Yes, you do.” Vex chuckles.

“Well, it is. Beautiful, I mean.” Keyleth mumbles while fidgeting awkwardly in her seat.

Vex takes pity on her and chooses to change the subject.

“How long has it been since we last sat here together, do you think?”

Keyleth visibly relaxes at the focus being redirected away from her awkward conversational skills, for a pensive look as she mulls over the question.

“My guess would be somewhere between 6 to 7 years. I think I stopped coming around the same time my relationship with Eldeyr became more serious.” Keyleth states matter-of-factly.

She then suddenly shifts swiftly in Vex’s direction with a guilty look on her face.

“Is that terrible? I swear it wasn’t intentional.” She asks ashamedly.

“Of course not, darling.” Vex reassures with a warm smile and reaching to take her friends hand in a gesture to further affirm her point and comfort her.

“Keyleth, we all knew you would move on at some point. Even if you didn’t want to believe you would. You are a beautiful woman, you’re the Voice of the Tempest, and have many many years of life yet to live. No one, not even Vax, expected you to be alone all that time after him.”

“I guess you’re right.” Keyleth ponders momentarily. “I just feel guilty and that I’ve betrayed Vax somehow. Since I moved on much quicker than I imagined I would. I pictured myself mourning Vax for at least a century of my life before I even thought about another man.”

“Keyleth dear, 40 years is a significant period of time. Maybe not relative to your lifespan, but undeniably regarding the objective measure of time.” Vex suddenly pauses, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise, before proceeding to laugh at herself. “Gods, that sounded just like something Percy would have said.”

The two women laugh at the admission. Vex could feel a sense of relief that this time the mere mention of Percy did not bring on a wave of sadness and grief, but that instead some of the pain could perhaps begin to be dampened by the discussion of him with someone who loved him as much a she did.

As their laughter begins to die down, Keyleth feels a burning question on the tip of her tongue, but a sense of apprehension and dread in offending her friend prevents her from asking it.

“Keyleth, whatever it is you can say it, dear.” Keyleth’s eyes meet Vex’s at the dark-haired woman’s statement. She realises that Vex had read the uneasiness on her face, and in typical Vex’ahlia fashion had called her out on it. No preamble. She has never been good at disguising her thoughts or intentions.

 _Percy had told me that_ , she thinks fondly.

“I’m not sure I should-“ Keyleth begins before she is interrupted by the other woman bedside her.

“Keyleth,” Vex says sternly in a tone that has always been commanding for as long as the two women had known each other, but since having had 5 children, and now many grandchildren, it had become even more imposing. “I don’t need to be or like being mollycoddled, and I certainly would never take offence to anything you say. We’ve been friends for so long, I’d hope you know you can speak plainly with me.”

Keyleth pauses to take a moment to study her friends face. Although now showing signs of middle-age and having heavy bags under her eyes from clear lack of sleep for several days, she still looks like the same Vex she has known for over 50 years. Vex has aged elegantly, still the beautiful and unapologetic-in-who-she-is kind of woman, she now also has an aura that exudes her status as the distinguished matriarch she is and has been for many years. What draws Keyleth’s attention most, however, is the clarity in Vex’s dark eyes evidencing the openness and honesty in what she says.

“Alright.”

Vex responds with an appreciative smile and reclines comfortably on her side of the shared seat, folding her hands in her lap waiting for her to continue.

“I was going to ask if you think you could ever see yourself with someone else?”

The question was not far from what Vex was expecting, based on Keyleth’s reluctance and the subject matter previously discussed. Yet she stops herself from answering immediately, instead going quiet to ask herself what her honest response to this would be.

Keyleth waits patiently, all the while watching her friend closely. She watches as Vex’s brow knits together in deep thought, and while she readjusts her skirts so she can cross her left leg over her right, causing her body to shift more in her direction before she speaks.

“Yes.” She states simply, drawing a stunned look and sound out of Keyleth.

“Obviously, it wouldn’t be any time in the near future, but yes I believe so.” She continues matter-of-factly. “Percy and I did discuss this briefly not so long ago. I didn’t want to entertain it at the time, but I also knew it would be a genuine concern I would have to face in the future. We were so clearly aging at different paces and I knew he would leave me before I him.”

“What did Percy say about it?” Keyleth inquires, realising she had never actually asked him herself and was suddenly curious to know.

“Well, typical Percy he tried to hide his obvious worry on the subject by approaching it in a nonchalant manner.” Vex says with an affectionate smile on her face, as she recalls the memory of their discussion. “He joked that he hated the idea of me becoming an old spinster like some of his ancestors once he was gone.”

The two of them cackle.

“What did you say?” Keyleth asks once her laughter subsides.

“Oh, I told him not to worry and that I would just promote one of my many secret lovers to a more permanent position.” Vex cites with a wicked grin before they both fall into fits of laughter yet again.

“I can just picture his face!” Keyleth giggles at the mental image.

“It was a sight to behold.” Vex says with a fond smile.

“After 50 years of marriage, I think he could have guessed I would make a suggestive joke in response. So he took it rather well.” Vex continued after their laughter had quelled. “Though his response is what clued me to realise that the subject was a legitimate concern for him.”

“Why? What did he say?” Keyleth asked leaning toward Vex, now enthralled to have an insight on one of the rare occurrences of Percy showing some vulnerability. Something she had only witnessed on a handful of occasions over their decade’s long friendship.

“He simply retorted that he would be satisfied knowing my needs were being taken care of.” Vex murmurs with a wistful smile.

“Trust Percy to say something so smart-ass, whilst being disarmingly charming and sweet at the same time.” Keyleth responds, with a similar smile to Vex’s on her face.

“Yes. It’s very him.” Vex mutters in agreement. She then turns to look at Keyleth noticing the same fond smile on her friends face and begins to feel her eyes sting with tears yet again.

Keyleth’s eyes too become glassy as she meets Vex’s gaze. The two of them sharing a wordless understanding through a single look. That there is no doubt the two of them knew him best and loved him most. Even though their love for the man came from different places, they know that Percy had always viewed the two of them as equals.

With tears spilling down both of their faces they simultaneously reach out to pull each other into a tight warm hug, which immediately quells some of the sharp cold winter air around them, as well as helping deal with their shared grief.

Vex is suddenly struck with a memory of something Percy had said to her the night they had all said goodbye to Vax, before they had gone to camp out in the woods like she and her brother did when they were young.

> “ _My God it is hard surviving isn’t it?_ ”

In this moment she realises just how right he was, that the more people they lose the harder it gets being the ones left behind. She is also suddenly hit with a wave of sympathy for her friend currently crying in her arms, as she notes with sadness that she will eventually become the last living member of Vox Machina and have to carry the collective grief of losing them all for centuries alone.

 _A burden I do not envy_. Vex thinks to herself as she rubs the red-heads’ back soothingly, as their tears die down.

“I was supposed to be the one coming here to comfort you!” Keyleth sniffles into Vex’s shoulder as the two women cling to one other.

“And you have, darling.” Vex says with the utmost sincerity, turning her head slightly in the embrace to rest her cheek on the other woman’s shoulder and look back out over the cityscape.

“I guess it’s taken a bit of time for me to let it sink in that I’m never going to see him again. Never hear another of his sarcastic comments during our Vox Machina nights out. Never see that glint in his eyes behind his glasses when he’s struck by some genius idea.” Keyleth lists off with a sigh, her voice slightly muffled by speaking into Vex’s thick shawl.

“Darling, you need to come to more de Rolo family meals then.” Vex starts with a soft laugh before continuing.

“If you want to hear dry witticisms every other sentence, Vesper has definitely picked up plenty from her father and aunt over the years. As for that inventor’s creative spark in the eye, Whitney’s youngest Byron is most definitely taking after his Grandfather in that regard. And well, you only need to look at all of the children to see Percy.” She finishes with a proud smile.

Keyleth finally breaks the hug, pulling back to wipe at her eyes and face.

“I suppose you’re right!” Keyleth giggles with delight at Vex’s words.

Vex reaches out and rubs her friends arm comfortingly before rising to her feet.

“Come, we should head back. Everyone will be up soon and will most likely come looking for me once they notice I’m gone.” Vex says with a smile, turning toward the druid with a hand outstretched for her to take.

“Plus, I thought we could make a quick stop at the Slayer’s Cake for a sneaky sugary pick-me-up.” She adds with her signature wink.

Keyleth grins in response and stands taking her friends proffered hand in her own, letting their clasped hands hang between them as they start to descend back down the hill back toward the city gate they exited through.

**THE END**

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading <3 Much love!


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